My name is Lexi Helms and I have an addiction...

http://v2wrestling.com/5/post/2015/05/my-name-is-lexi-helms-and-i-have-an-addiction.html

v2s latest writer (Lexi Helms) explains how she got in to wrestling and still loves it today. Make sure to say hello to Lexi when she surfaces on here!

This addiction is something that affects my daily habits, actions in situations and the world, drains my money, is a habit that started as a child and is something I cannot live without. Sometimes, it hangs in my wardrobe, influencing my style and sometimes causes random strangers to come and speak to me. My addiction can take me on the highest high and send me into a blubbering mess. It also frequents my laptop, phone, social media stream and my DVD collection - not to mention my TV. It’s something my mother hates, something I watch with the male family and something my partner certainly indulges in with me... Ladies and Gentlemen, my name is Lexi Helms and my addiction is pro-wrestling [tell me you did NOT read that with Paul Hayman’s voice!].

I was two when this addiction started -my brother was watching it and I became hooked. I, to this day, cannot tell you why I liked it and for a while it was all I spoke about and wanted to play. Having two brothers who actively encouraged me to be Superfly Jimmy Snuka and jump off the sofa onto one of them only deepened my love for it. At one point I wanted to BE the Ultimate Warrior at the age of 3 [and yes, I cried when he was inducted into the HOF, cried when he died and yes, I cry at documentaries because I’m still not over it!] and was not ashamed to admit it to anyone that would listen. I have stuck with it for 25 years. It is a sad fact to admit that in this world, its often rare to come across a female pro-wrestling fan. I didn’t get into it simply to look at males in skimpy outfits. Case and point: I once got into a very public argument with a girl over Randy Orton because she insisted his name was a good marketing ploy merely based on his good looks. This coming from a girl who hated wrestling before seeing Orton...

I have always loved WWF - until 1996... when, by coincidence, I stumbled across a little known programme called “Nitro”. Back in the day, Cartoon Network changed to TNT at 9pm, and as a result, Nitro was shown on a Friday night. I was hooked - because I recognised Scott Hall. It was so different to what WWF was offering at the time, and with the absence of Sky Sports in the Sky Package, gave me a guaranteed 2 hour wrestling fix on a Friday night. I remember watching WCW back on ITV in ’92 / 93, but this was different. At one point, on a family holiday to America, I my brothers and I traded rooms to catch the episodes of RAW for Nitro, briefly filling in the blanks during ad breaks. My desire to have wrestling in my life was so great that I used to listen to episodes of Livewire on the old Sky Sports 3 because you could still get sound from the channel, despite having no picture - to my mother’s annoyance.

As I became a Teenager, wrestling was more accessible and I had caught a few ECW matches here or there - but my confused brain both loved and hated ECW. Part of me loved it, because it was wrestling and RVD blew my mind with what he could do. Part of me hated it, because I had a genuine fear for the safety of the performers in the company. Bear in mind, we were edging towards the tail end of the Attitude Era -Hardcore wrestling in WWF was much tamer than ECW, and was the only “hardcore” wrestling I had seen up until this point. I remember only briefly watching ECW mainly because, finally, both me and mum agreed that it was TOO violent. Only now, with the benefit of hindsight and with an adult mind (to fully understand who Jenna Jameson is, for example) can I fully appreciate ECW and the utter genius that is Paul Hayman.

By this point in my addiction (circa 1999), I had also stopped watching Nitro after the decision was made to end Goldbergs’ streak and fell in love with Smack Down!, After Burn and Bottom Line. This was more than enough for the wrestling fix I craved... Until the Invasion storyline. Which, in my opinion, is one of the GREATEST storylines ever and further increased my demands for more wrestling. By this point, my brother had pointed out that you could now purchase WWF attire over in this country, and, as a result, my brother and I proudly own a Shane O’Mac Baseball shirt... One of the last 40 ever sold in the UK. This quickly developed into a collection of Wrestling-related t-shirts that I still wear to this day: I have shirts including Stone Cold, The Rock, John Cena [bring on the hate eh?], Evolution, Batista [more heat for me!], Wade Barrett, Charlotte Flair and William Regal.

Once the “Invasion” angle finished, wrestling fans were introduced to the “Brand Split”, which was fantastic. The idea that only the Champion would be on both shows was fantastic, it made you choose a brand and be loyal to it. I also loved the Raw and SmackDown! Sets respectively, but favoured the SmackDown! Fist and, if truth be told, I long for its return. The storylines were engaging and both shows pushed and developed young talent. I loved the Nitro element of SmackDown! With the Luche Libre style and quick paced matches and the fact that RAW had the comforting reassurance of Triple H, Shawn Michaels and... dare I say it... Chris Benoit (granted he was on SD! initially). All of these only furthered my need for my fix of wrestling - I would pull the all-nighters to watch the PPVs, at the sacrifice of schooling the next day. Then Wrestlemania 21 happened. It was no X7 but it was good enough, and it was clear that some of the old guard were slowing down and the new boys were taking over. It was a fresh start and paved the way for new storylines and rivalries to happen. This era of peace was not going to replicate the Monday Night Wars, but would come close, especially with the addition of the draft picks and Team RAW vs Team SmackDown! matches at Survivor Series.

Amongst all this, darker days came... Eddie Gurrereo passed away... then Chris Benoit. The feel of WWE changed, dramatically. But I still watched it. I still loved it. I still invested in it. The impact of the passing of these two greats (and no, I do NOT condone what Benoit did, but you cannot deny his talent pre-June 2007), made people more aware of the “violence” in pro-wrestling (living in America at the time, the news was full of reports on this tragedy, with most of the reports containing false allegations). Seemingly overnight the following happened: Chair shots? Gone. Blood? Vanished. Weapons? Not used. Target Demographic? Altered, and it was clear I wasn’t in it. Then I noticed TNA Wrestling. And Aces and Eights. This hooked me in again - THIS is what pro-wrestling should be... but then TNA started to make their mistakes and quickly lost my interest. So, I went crawling back to WWE, and I am not sorry. Having recently purchased the Network I have discovered NXT and my word, does the future look bright. I share the same opinion of my fellow fans by saying that NXT is better than the main shows - and to have Regal as GM, wise, wise move WWE - or more precisely, Triple H.

When I started this column I said that Pro-Wrestling is my addiction. There is no escape from it, it simply is. I know that it is pre-determined and scripted. I know that people will dislike the fact that my main source of wrestling is WWE, and not independents’ like ROH or New Japan Pro-Wrestling. I know that WWE make mistakes; If I had a quid (£1) for every time I’ve said “this is bull Poopie! I am Done with this!” I would be comfortable! I get why certain talents are pushed and others not. I understand that not every wrestling fan will see eye-to-eye on things like who is the greatest of all time? Who should be pushed now? Why isn’tsuch and such in the Hall of Fame yet? But this is one of the reasons why I adore the wrestling scene - not everyone agrees, but on that rare occasion when the stars align and we see greatness (such as Eddie Gurrereo), our belief is suspended and we unite as one, caught up in the moment, jaws slack, standing in awe. It is this moment that fuels the addiction, makes me proud to admit it and hope it encourages others to admit theirs too.

Adam D wrote:

http://v2wrestling.com/5/post/2015/05/my-name-is-lexi-helms-and-i-have-an-addiction.html

and we see greatness (such as Eddie Gurrereo)

I like her already

Not ALL wrestling fans think NXT is better than the main shows!

Eddie bloody Guerrero.

Then I noticed TNA Wrestling. And Aces and Eights. This hooked me in again - THIS is what pro-wrestling should be... 

Nice try Adam but we don't allow duplicate accounts on this site.

Crimey wrote:

Then I noticed TNA Wrestling. And Aces and Eights. This hooked me in again - THIS is what pro-wrestling should be... 

Nice try Adam but we don't allow duplicate accounts on this site.

Ha... No, unfortunately, its real. Its me! I would have spoken more about it, but with the word limit imposed, words were limited! Whilst Aces and Eights were a really interesting throw back to Attitude Era wrestling when it unravelled, it really just left me feeling a bit anti-climactic. Loose ends dropped and horrible story lines returned and it felt like TNA had no clue what to do with the aftermath of the storyline. Hence why I returned to WWE... and they welcomed me with open arms... kinda.

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:Not ALL wrestling fans think NXT is better than the main shows!

Eddie bloody Guerrero.

Apologies - I made a sweeping statement with NXT. The majority of fans I know prefer NXT and I can see why. It feels fresher than RAW and Smack Down! Dare I say it, it feels less "restricted" by the PG era, and William Regal as GM is pure gold: comedic and talent wise.

I could have made reference to Ric Fair, the Four Horsemen, Mr Perfect and other greats. However, having recently watched the Eddie Guerrero DVD and the Monday Night Wars Series on the Network, he was at the forefront of my mind when I wrote this, hence the reference.

and we see greatness (such as Eddie Gurrereo)

I like her already

Thank you sir.

Crimey wrote:

Then I noticed TNA Wrestling. And Aces and Eights. This hooked me in again - THIS is what pro-wrestling should be... 

Nice try Adam but we don't allow duplicate accounts on this site.

but...

but then TNA started to make their mistakes and quickly lost my interest.

...obviously NOT Adam...

Wonder if she's ever considered changing her name to Lexi Luger?

dyrewolfe wrote:

Wonder if she's ever considered changing her name to Lexi Luger?

And be considered a total package?  

Lexi Helms wrote:

dyrewolfe wrote:

Wonder if she's ever considered changing her name to Lexi Luger?

And be considered a total package?  

I honestly hadn't considered that...

As a wrestling journalist you certainly seem to be anyway...keep up the great work!

I kid. It's a long story of House loving Eddie and me thinking he's overrated. Better than Christian though...

dyrewolfe wrote:
I honestly hadn't considered that...

As a wrestling journalist you certainly seem to be anyway...keep up the great work!

Ha - should I be happy or offended? I intend to. Thanks for welcoming me here

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:I kid. It's a long story of House loving Eddie and me thinking he's overrated. Better than Christian though...

Ha - Sorry, Dolphin, but I've got to go with House on this one! Maybe I've said too much already... Although Christian must be better than Khali... SURELY?!?!

Needless to say, thanks for welcoming me here

It depends why you like him. If I even went to Japan I'd be a contender for best wrestler of the year

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:It depends why you like him. If I even went to Japan I'd be a contender for best sumo wrestler of the year

Fixed that for you mate

But I've been following your Instagram diet!

No wonder, dominos and KFC are the staple of the sumo wrestlers diet.

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:It depends why you like him. If I even went to Japan I'd be a contender for best wrestler of the year

Has anyone seen Eddie's work as Black Tiger Mask? I don't think I ever have. I know this pre-dates the wrestling that Lexi is talking about, and it really makes me feel old that she was watching wrestlers when she was 2 that I was seeing in my 20s, but Rollerball Rocco was probably the guy who most hooked me on wrestling and he was, of course, the first Black Tiger Mask in Japan. I think Eddie took the mantle over in the 90s so I really have to go see now if any of that work is on the net.

Oh, nice article by the way Lexi. Just a question. You've obviously gone through a few eras of WWE and also were a WCW watcher back in the day. Why is the majority of the wrestling you watch now WWE and not the other brands that you mention. Is it just that you prefer the WWE style, that it is more accessible, these are the guys you know, or something else?

Dolphin, I like Eddie because it's the complete art of wrestling. Eddie brought style, flair and the traditional aspects of wrestling, but never forgot the psychological element of wrestling. This is something I feel is lacking in modern wrestling. He also had wonderful timing and his comedic side made him stand out. It was also clear that Eddie had a genuine love and respect for wrestling and that he had a hard work ethic. I have seen some of his work as black tiger, but didn't realise it was him (until I read his book) which made me respect him more. He blew my mind when I saw him compete in WCW against Rey Mysterio Jnr, and his "coffee" speech made me love him more - I was convinced at the time that it was real, but alas, it wasn't. But, it felt it at the time.

Prometheus, honestly, WWE is more accessible than other promotions so I guess his is why I watch it more. I'm also very loyal, so usually stick with the brands that I like. I've also recently signed up for the network and find myself watching WWE more now than ever. When I was in uni I was able to watch more independent promotions, but as a "grown-up" I cant give as much time to sourcing more independent programming. I do continue to watch TNA from time to time, but find that it can be lazy in its booking... That and I can never forgive them for sending out Jeff Hardy in that match against sting in 2010...

Fair enough Lexi. Anyhow, thanks for mentioning Eddie and then Dolphin mentioning Japan. My tip for the day if you have 30 minutes. Open YouTube and type in Black Tiger vs Wild Pegasus.

And, of course, wild Pegasus is the one and only Chris Benoit...

Lexi Helms wrote:And, of course, wild Pegasus is the one and only Chris Benoit...

You so know this is going to be in Hero's quiz in a couple of week's time.

"For 3 points, I wrestled in Japan as Wild Pegasus"

"For 2 points, I will never get in the WWE Hall of Fame"

"For 1 point,"... well, let's say we probably don't wanna know what Hero's gimmie clue will be.

Ha, really? If you get the chance, read Eddies' book. Absolutely wonderful read, it had me laughing, crying and outwardly "awe"-ing in public.

I'll have to try that. I have to admit, I find most wrester's books fairly unreadable. They either are so bitter, you can feel them wanting to stop writing and start stabbing pictures of some of the promoters and other wrestler's with their pen. Or they have such an inflated view of themselves, you have to ask is this really them.

I know the latter shouldn't surprise me that someone who entertains for a living has a bit of an ego, but my example will be Bob Holly. Now, Bob was an okay mid-carder. Read his book and he legit thinks he should have had a huge main event feud with Lesnar.

Not for me. Over-egged a lot of stuff, lacked impact in the ring and below the pantheon of greatness

Prometheus wrote:

Lexi Helms wrote:And, of course, wild Pegasus is the one and only Chris Benoit...

You so know this is going to be in Hero's quiz in a couple of week's time.

"For 3 points, I wrestled in Japan as Wild Pegasus"

"For 2 points, I will never get in the WWE Hall of Fame"

"For 1 point,"... well, let's say we probably don't wanna know what Hero's gimmie clue will be.

Dunno, no wrestler matching this criteria has ever existed.......ever

What about Stevie Richards?

Prometheus wrote:I'll have to try that.  I have to admit, I find most wrester's books fairly unreadable.  They either are so bitter, you can feel them wanting to stop writing and start stabbing pictures of some of the promoters and other wrestler's with their pen.  Or they have such an inflated view of themselves, you have to ask is this really them.

I know the latter shouldn't surprise me that someone who entertains for a living has a bit of an ego, but my example will be Bob Holly.  Now, Bob was an okay mid-carder.  Read his book and he legit thinks he should have had a huge main event feud with Lesnar.  

There's a sub category.

Best (or favourite) books in wrestling.

I'm undecided between Mick Foley "Have a nice day" and Chris Jericho "A Lions Tale". I know they're hardly rare, but I love the stories from them going from nowhere to the WWF.

#Ain'tGotShitOnJTG'sBook

Bret's for me.
Yes he's a bitter twisted man in it (written prior to him returning to WWE) but because it's not under the WWE banner it's really not pulling punches on some of the guys there and what went on.

Bret's for me too. Really enjoyed it. Foley's was better than Jericho's for me. Jericho's were good but there were too many excuses in there.

Bret's is a very,very good read. More interesting on the business than Foley's, although Foley's is one i've reread many times.

My Bret one is also signed too after abandoning my wife and kids on my birthday to queue up to meet him.

Brilliant write up there Lexi, I missed out really on the Monday Night War but still remember staying up till god knows o clock with my brother and Gran watching WCW (one thing that stuck in my head is the guy that used to spray silly string, can't remember his name though)

Fallen out of love with wrestling lately but still enjoy reading about it.

Obvious choice for autobiographies is Mick Foleys (although I'm told it's a bit too happy???) Brets is a great read and read Sean Michaels too. (although take it with a pinch of salt)

Forgot about Jericho's, thought it was really good and rather than excuses he acknowledges where he went wrong (although I disagree with him)

Prometheus wrote:

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:It depends why you like him. If I even went to Japan I'd be a contender for best wrestler of the year

Has anyone seen Eddie's work as Black Tiger Mask?  

There's a tag match I'm very fond of from 96 Tiger and The Great Sasuke vs Benoit and Shinjiro Otani, its the finals of the Jr tag league, can't find a link anywhere but its on world if you fancy having a look (PS Otani is the Frak boss)

Also he has a really good showing in the 94 Super J cup, murdering a very young Taka Micinoku in the first round before a match with Benoit in the 2nd which is great, though that whole tournament is gold and we'll worth checking out for perhaps the greatest 1 night performance in wrestling history by the great sasuke

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:It depends why you like him. If I even went to Japan I'd be a contender for best wrestler of the year

Watching Shibata punt you in the face repeatedly might be my moty in fairness

I can recommend lex Lugers book if you are a fan of new loaf and mashed potatoes. Actually even then it's stil pretty poor

My favourite has to be Ric Flair's ... But that's personal preference. I have Jericho's to read and will be soon. As for Bret Heart... Dont get me started! Glasses of Chardonnay doesn't wine like him...

Lexi Helms wrote:My favourite has to be Ric Flair's ... But that's personal preference. I have Jericho's to read and will be soon. As for Bret Heart... Dont get me started! Glasses of Chardonnay doesn't wine like him...

You sound like a Times theatre critic!

Dr Gregory House MD wrote:

Prometheus wrote:

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:It depends why you like him. If I even went to Japan I'd be a contender for best wrestler of the year

Has anyone seen Eddie's work as Black Tiger Mask?  

There's a tag match I'm very fond of from 96 Tiger and The Great Sasuke vs Benoit and Shinjiro Otani, its the finals of the Jr tag league, can't find a link anywhere but its on world if you fancy having a look (PS Otani is the Frak boss)

Also he has a really good showing in the 94 Super J cup, murdering a very young Taka Micinoku in the first round before a match with Benoit in the 2nd which is great, though that whole tournament is gold and we'll worth checking out for perhaps the greatest 1 night performance in wrestling history by the great sasuke

Great, thanks. I'm probably quite stupid as I'd never realised that the NJPW World content went back that far. Just watched that Super J tournament, very entertaining stuff.

dyrewolfe wrote:

Lexi Helms wrote:My favourite has to be Ric Flair's ... But that's personal preference. I have Jericho's to read and will be soon. As for Bret Heart... Dont get me started! Glasses of Chardonnay doesn't wine like him...

You sound like a Times theatre critic!

*whispers* or a John Cena lyric... *backs off quietly into obscurity*